The "blended family" can pose its own unique set of challenges. Shiloh is my youngest of seven children. Yes , that's right seven. There are a total of four women responsible for birthing those seven kids. No, I am not a practicing Muslim nor olskool Big Love type Mormon. I only wish we had that type of "sister wife" comraderie with my "four baby mamma's". Though I must remove the current wife from that grouping, she would not take kindly to being referred to as such. During our more than fifteen years together, she has shown time and again that she has my back, whatever issues we've had to conjointly stroll through. As you can well imagine, things can get pretty tense trying to make it all work. Varying circumstances and personalties in addition to expectations and obligations, it often times is every bit as confusing as it sounds. You toss in other personal demons I've battled over the years and you kind of get the snapshot of what life for MJ is like in its present rendering . For Shiloh's recent fourth birthday it was attendance by selective invite only. There are off shoot elements in the "blend" that have an oil and water affinity for one another. We have to judiciously rotate birthdays and holidays to make sure the proper balance is achieved. It is distressing for me because I would love for this to be one of those in a perfect world situations where peace and harmony abound. It's not even close as of this writing, but a fellow can still dream.
I make no apologies, it is what it is. And don't get me wrong, there are many joyous and wonderful moments. Just not with everyone under the same roof or coexisting in the same location. For someone who watched his parents spend fifty five years of mostly wedded bliss together, the outlook can seem daunting. The Family Afterward chapter of a widely read self help manual speaks about the chaos and confusion the recovery process can have on those closest to the recoveree. Years of dysfunctional behavior and attitudes take their inevitable toll. The long road to reconstruction is a trying one, but well worth the journey. The bed is made and I intend to sleep in it. Sometimes I wish that's all I would've done...
